Pacific Rim Eyes Off Kong-Godzilla Crossover In Monsterverse

Universal and Legendary are hoping that the stars align for a crossover project that could be bigger than Ben Hur. Pacific Rim Uprising director Steven S. DeKnight opened up on the studio's grand plan to see that property merge with Godzilla and Kong, two monsters who have their own meet-up planned courtesy of 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong picture.

Speaking with Collider, he doubled down on the idea that box office numbers have to hit certain metrics before a final call is made. So much so, the 2018 edition has seemingly hedged their bets on whether or not the Pacific Rim franchise has a future beyond the next installment.

Pacific-Godzilla-Kong Crossover A "Natural Step" For DeKnight

Universal and Legendary Pictures have their cards marked leading into a Godzilla 2 sequel for 2019 and the ultimate beastly crossover for 2020. Yet DeKnight sees currency in bringing a third arc to that Monsterverse story.

"I won't say there's an Easter Egg but there's been a lot of discussion about that possibility (of crossing over)," he remarked. "Look I think it would be fantastic to have the Pacific Rim universe join Legendary's Monster Universe, it seems like a natural step. And part of the big overall plan after the third movie we've talked about is that could happen, it's always a possibility. It's by far not a certainty; it's merely theoretical at this point, but as a fan myself I would love to see that happen."

Clearly not wanting to count his chickens before they hatch, DeKnight intimated that the conclusion of Pacific Rim Uprising will only leave the door slightly ajar to a third film.

"Oh we definitely leave it open to another installment. The tricky thing with something like this is you want to not end on a cliffhanger. You don't want an Empire Strikes Back cliffhanger unless you know you're gonna do a third movie, you want to leave it open but also wrap it up. So that's very much what we did on this movie. It has a definitive ending but very much open to the next chapter."

PR Fans Find Solace In Aftermath Comic

This week, Legendary made an announcement that ties into the Pacific Rim universe. They will issue a 6-part comic book series title Pacific Rim Aftermath, acting as a bridge between the two movies and offering a comprehensive synopsis in the process:

"Santa Monica, 2034. In a city that was once the jewel of the West Coast, a new world has emerged: one rising up from the ashes of giant robots and giant monsters. In this futuristic aftermath, we will meet a new generation of survivors, including Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost, who is searching for answers behind the death of his Legendary father; Griffin, a Jaeger pilot who has gone from defending the world to piloting an illegal Jaeger enforcer for a mob boss; and the Mech Czar, a techno-criminal overlord who rules the underworld with a steel fist. Set against a neo-noir backdrop of street gangs, Kaiju worshipers, and Jaeger Scrapyards, a mysterious but familiar figure arrives with a dangerous agenda."

Pacific Rim Uprising opens in the US on March 23, 2018.

Source: Collider, MovieWeb